1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a booklet maker and a trimming system for a booklet maker, and more particularly, the invention relates to a sheet wise trimming system for a booklet maker which trims the sheets of a booklet to a desired size.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Automated saddle stitch booklet makers are currently used to bind many sheets of duplex printed material into a finished booklet. The currently known booklet making machines perform operations such as stapling, folding and trimming of sheets. Generally these booklet making machines perform these functions on many sheets at a time requiring high forces, powerful motors, and dangerous cutting devices. Such booklet making machines are expensive, often exceeding the cost of desktop or office printers. As such, known booklet making machines are not well suited for use in low cost desktop booklet making.
Accordingly, there is a need for electronic desktop publishing machines for forming booklets which are compact, low cost, high quality and suitable for use with desktop laser and ink jet printers.
In conventional booklet making machines the booklets are first assembled, stapled, and folded and then the edges of the sheets are trimmed together to achieve a finished and flush edge to the sheets. Trimming is necessary to produce a finished booklet with pages which are flush and easy to flip through. A trimmed booklet also has a more attractive appearance. However, as discussed above, the trimming of the sheets of an entire booklet at one time requires high forces and powerful motors. These powerful motors are expensive and large increasing the cost and size of a booklet maker.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,225 describes a booklet maker and a booklet making process in which sheets are trimmed by an individual sheet trimming operation to reduce the force needed for trimming. According to this booklet making process, the sheets are trimmed to length first and, then folded, assembled, and stapled. The trimming of individual sheets allows the use of smaller and less expensive trimming systems. However, this process has the drawback that the trimmed and folded sheets must be assembled into the booklet which may be more difficult than assembling sheets before trimming and folding.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a booklet maker which can perform trimming of individual sheets after assembly of the sheets into a booklet to eliminate a need to handle folded sheets.
The present invention relates to a booklet maker, a trimming system for a booklet maker, and a method of making booklets in which stacked sheets are individually trimmed to create a final finished edge of a booklet.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a booklet maker includes a sheet receiving tray for receiving a stack of sheets to be stapled into a booklet, a stapler unit arranged to staple the stack of sheets, a first pick and separate mechanism arranged to separate each the sheets in the stack of sheets, a first cutter arranged to cut each of the separated sheets after the sheets have been separated by the first pick and separate mechanism, and a controller for positioning the sheets and controlling the first cutter to cut each of the separated sheets at a location determined based on a position of the sheet in the booklet.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention, a trimming system for a booklet maker includes a first pick and separate mechanism arranged to separate each sheet in a stack of sheets forming a booklet, a first cutter arranged to cut each of the separated sheets after the sheets have been separated by the first pick and separate mechanism, and a controller for controlling the first cutter to cut each of the separated sheets at a location determined based on sheet information.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a method of forming a booklet includes the steps of stacking a plurality of printed sheets; stapling the printed sheets along a centerline to form a booklet; and trimming the edges of the sheets in the stapled booklet on a sheet by sheet basis according to a trimming schedule.
The present invention provides advantages of a more compact and less expensive stapling apparatus for use in a desktop booklet making apparatus.